in coordination with our international partners. >> officials here at the pentagon are operating as if this is, in fact, a done deal. and they expect attacks as early as perhaps the end of this week or early next week. >> these new developments coming a day after secretary of state john contrary calling evidence of chemical weapons undeniable. >> what we saw in syria last week should shock the conscience of the world. it defies any code of morality. let me be clear. the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians and killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity. >> the horror and moral outrage expressed by john contrary was profound and it was unusual. it was emotional and passionate and that expresses the views throughout the administration. >> there is a building international effort including

great britain prime minister david cameron has called parliament back into emergency session with one topic, syria. back in the u.s. members of congress remain on recess but are calling on the president to consult them before green lighting any mission. >> i actually wish they would call us back and ask for an authorization in advance. >> joining me now live is nbc news foreign correspondent in cairo, ayman. what can you tell us about the strike and timing of strikes that is being discussed and could we talk about this potential military action really happening by thursday? >> reporter: well, there is no doubt is there a long list of potential targets for the international community, including the u.s. and its allies to strike. as we understand it from discussions emerged in recent days it is not meant to degrade the syrian's military capability but to send a message to the syrian government that they have carried out a major violation of

international norms, both morally and legally and need to be held accountable. several options including the various command and control posts of the syrian military and perhaps those specifically linked with the actual attack. keep in mind, yesterday, secretary of state john contrary did say the united states had evidence that it was going to make public in recent days or in the coming days rather, about links between the syrian government and this attack, in addition to what u.n. inspectors are already doing on the ground. no doubt about it that any potential military strike against syria will only exacerbate a military attack that is happening. >> ayman, thanks so much. we have republican congressman from virginia, scott rigihl. thank you for joining us. as i pointed out, we have today

the british prime minister david cameron calling back a session for parliament tweeting that parliament is going to be recalled on thursday when there is clear government motion and vote on uk response to the chemical weapons attack. sir, what are the u.s. options? and are you in favor of military strikes by the end of the week? >> thank you for having me on, thomas. a important and serious topic. secretary kerry is right in his characterization that assad rah made on his people. the point i'm making the president being joined by an increasing number of colleagues the president needs to follow the constitution here. his behavior and his conduct and his application for libya is struckive to us and i clearly believe that the level of force there rose to the level of requiring congress to get engaged in this under the war

powers resolution. i think that is where we are headed here. my call is really for the president to should he get to that point of really about to engage u.s. forces some he does need to call us back. only then. but we need to come back from wherever we are and deliberate this and authorize it. >> you say libya was instructive because you were left out of that process? >> correct. i had a lot of support from democrats to actually defund it. i had only been in congress three months and i found myself leading this effort to defund this. i represent the district in the country that has the highest representation of men and women in uniform in the country active duty and retired. some of the shifts you mentioned are home ported in norfolk. >> yeah. >> so, look. it's not a question of, you know, being restrained in our foreign policy here. we may very well support what the president wants to do. but it is not the king's army.

and there is a process by which we need to follow. it was framed in our constitutional. george washington made it clear. >> sir, while we understand that there is, you know, the responsibility right now is coming from the president because of the words that were used by the secretary of state john kerry yesterday saying it really is undeniable, but do you need stronger confirmation that not only are there deaths associated with chemical weapons but they are directly linked with bashar al assad and his government? >> thomas, one of the main purpose of what i'm asking here and i think is clearly required under our constitution is to have the time to see that evidence, to walk through it and deliberate it on the house floor. right now, the president, i think, kind of thrown us a bone,

if you will. he is meeting or talking to individual members. this is helpful but no substitute for engaging the institution itself. the discussions are taking place in private right now they need to take place on the house floor and senate floor. the president really, i think, looks for his moral foundation in this from the united nations for example and other world leaders. that is appropriate, but the foundation, the moral foundation is found in the american people and through their elected official and why if he wants to engage u.s. forces he must, he really must call us back into session. >> congressman scott rigell, thank you for your time. >> thank you. what is the key players if the us green lights military action? joining me for the strategy surrounding syria's placement in the middle east and by extension the world is heshell melon. good to have you here. when we look at the countries that are bordering syria,

explain to us which are friendly with the u.s. and when would lend support to syria? >> thomas, historically, city surrounded by four friendly and/or allies of the united states. turkey. jordan, very friendly and close to the united states. as well as lebanon. iraq was not in that category until the last ten years. we invested tremendous amount of treasure and blood in iraq. but today it's a very mirurky picture. lebanon is neutral. on half of iron is supporting the assad regime. iraq is supporting the syrian regime. iraq now air space and iraqi territory is used by iran to

funnel weapons to syria. also there are shiite volunteers from iraq and lebanon fighting on behalf of the regime in syria. beyond that, the gulf states, uae and qatar are supporting the united states. egypt now after the military coup is hesitant and it's not likely to support the american strike that takes place. >> one thing as we see and giving this geography lesson and see syria is encapsuled by other on countries and other states, we see russia to the north and know they are a key player in all of this, although moscow is not so on board with what has been going on in syria, at least prosecute the u.s. assertion. they have been supplying forces and weapons for assad's regime. we know that the president is headed to russia next week for the g-20 summit. how much of that is going to factor in to the situation in moscow for the g-20 and the fact

that they aren't supposed to have their off-shoot, their face-to-face between putin and the president was canceled so they are not to have that face-to-face any longer. >> russia and before that the soviet union had a relationship with damascus. one of the reasons the regime survived two and a half years of brutal conflict is the support from russia diplomatic material and armaments as well as crucial support the regime gets from iran and also from hezbollah. russia supported syria and russia's putin specifically will continue to stand with syria. putin doesn't want to see the american influence extend over syria as they see it. so the russians will be complaining loudly. i don't think they will do anything or they would risk their relationship with the

united states on behalf of assad but raising concerns at the united nations and other forums. >> a lot of moving parts. great to have you on, sir. thank you. >> thanks. we look at wall street right now. stocks slumped at opening bell today with worries of u.s. military action in syria. the dow currently down nearly a hundred points. we will watch the markets for you throughout the day and see what they do. and then tomorrow, it marks 50 years to the day since the march on washington. president obama will stand in martin luther king jr.'s place to mark that anniversary. is this the president' mlk moment? we will look ahead to his speech. we are following new reports that george zimmerman wants the state of florida to pay his legal bills. it leads to our question for you today. should the state of florida pay? head to facebook or tweet me. your responses will be on later in the show. you like to keep your family healthy and fit.

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coming up later today, the president will host a private reception in honor of the 50th anniversary of the march on washington. tomorrow it will be history in the making once again. the first african-american president dloiverg a speech at the lincoln memorial capping off a week long celebration of the historic march when martin luther king, jr. made his famous speech. the president is expected to talk about some of the advances made by minorities the last half century and what else need to be done to erase racial injust as we move forward. joining me is reverend love who was among several religious leaders including reverend al sharpton who met with the president yesterday. joining me also is zeke miller.

gentlemen, good to have you here. reverend love, start with you. during your meeting yesterday you focused on how civil rights and equality are closely tied to voting rights and closing the gap on education, employment, and access to health care. like in 1963, 50 years ago, we are also facing serious voting rights issues signed into law in north carolina. the justice department is going to sue texas over its state's voter i.d. law. tell all of us, during that meeting yesterday, did president obama signal he plans to bring up these new efforts to restrict voting rights when he delivers his speech tomorrow? >> he didn't share that he was bringing this up in his speech. he shared with us his passion for maintaining equal opportunities for everyone as it relates to voting and getting to the ballot box, leading a level playing field so everyone has an

equal opportunity to get to the polls. he did not share that is he is putting that in business speech but you could feel hess passion about it. >> you got some insight into this from valerie jarrett. she says it gives the president a chance to reflect on the 50 years what that speech meant to him and how far our nation has come and where he sees our nation going and we want people to feel a sense of responsibility to take that baton and run with it. the president a toddler 2 years old when the speech was given but it's been important to him growing up over the last 50 years and being the first african-american president. what do you think that the president, you say the mlk moment, is going to look like? how will he be able to achieve that? >> we are certainly expecting him to say even though he is the first black president, the struggle, this fight is not over 50 years later, that from a range of policy proposals whether income or equality or voting rights or potentially

immigration and factoring into his remarks a big platform and big stage for even him to speak at. we lie to try as many things to get that there and certainly a charge to the next generation the next 50 years the president, you know, as you said, you know, he was 2 when the speech was given 50 years ago. now, you know, now he is 52. now it's time for him to educate the next generation like he did with two presidential campaigns and trying to keep that vision alive because it was beneficial to him and he wants to be beneficial to the next generations. >> i want to show this. it's titled "obama race and class." it says king and obama born 32 years apart learned that an african-american leader needs to link racial equality to the broader cause.

we talked about race shortly after the not guilty verdict of george zimmerman. in your estimation, how careful does the president need to be in his rhetoric not to turn off certain voters, for example, tomorrow? >> i think the president is always aware of making certain that all of us have equal opportunities. so i don't know about lifting up the issue of race as much as making it equitable for the citizens of the united states. >> when with look as where we are as a country and how far we have come and we reelected the first african-american president, that president obama will go down in history for many accomplishments during his eight years, but the inspiration that needs to be delivered tomorrow. showcasing exactly how far we still need to go. >> certainly. that is exactly what the white house is saying we should expect, some sort of charge into the future, you know, trying to,

you know, build some excitement among young people, you know, the distance to travel is certainly a lot shorter than it was 50 years ago, you know,, you know, the white house mentioned to me there aren't beatings in the streets the same way you saw at mass protests. no need for that after the same -- same intensity. at the same time, you know, when the finish line is closer, sometimes you have to run harder just because you're tired, that the president is going to tell young people especially that the struggle isn't over and a lot more to do and a broad message and maybe clear deliverables what he wants to accomplish the next three and a half years but also where he sees dr. king's vision going for the next 50. >> gentlemen, thanks so much. appreciate your time. i want to point out to everybody and tune in tomorrow for our all-day special coverage of the president's speech marking the march on washington.

msnbc, "hardball" host chris matthews will be on at 11:00 a.m. in a special edition of all in with chris hayes at 8:00 p.m. eastern so don't miss a big day tomorrow on msnbc. ahead of tomorrow's anniversary we want to know how you're advancing the dream. you snap a picture and tweet us. here is mine. visit us to see pictures other people have sent in and we look forward to seeing what you got. ♪ (woman) this place has got really good chocolate shakes.

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200 to 300,000. joining me is kerry sanders in miami. explain to us how this process works in florida and hasn't zimmerm zimmerman's defense fund made enough money to pay off that debt? >> there is a difference between costs and legal fees. >> reporter: the state of florida allows somebody charged with a crime who is acquitted to get their costs actually covered by the state. so, for instance, in george zirlman's case the simple things like photocopying and a court report. you have to fly experts in and pay their fees and producing a video of what they believe happened that night when with george zimmerman shot and killed trayvon martin. all of those costs according to the defense attorney are as you noted in the range of 200,000 to 300,0

300,000. the concept you shouldn't be bankrupted in the effort to defend yourself and so the state has an agency, the jac, judicial administrative commission, that will take those costs and go through them and actually pay them. if we go back a little bit, you'll remember in the casey anthony case that the defense attorney jose baez had the costs paid because he claimed she was indigent. the legal fees, we haven't shown the bill and i'm not sure mar r o'mara will show it to us. >> strictly just the costs. good breakdown. we will see how the state of florida moves forward with that. police in spokane, washington, arrested a second suspect monday in the vicious beating death of 88-year-old

warl world war ii vet. police picked up the suspect and charged him with first-degree murder. police insist the motivate was robbery, not race. emotional day in newtown, connecticut. students head back to school for a new year in a different building not far from where 20 of their classmates and six can educators gunned down last december. plans will be proofed to demolish the school where the massacre occurred and build a new one in its place. a mesles outbreak tied to a texas megachurch has sickened 21 people and the number could grow. the victims range from 4 months to 64 years old. 11-year-old sarah, who received two double lung transplants after her parents challenged the nation's organ system gets to spend the night in her own bed. she is leaving the hospital today and a news conference with

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march on washington. bob woodson a founder of the center of neighborhood enterprise makes several strong statements. i want to play wuven thosone of. take a peek. >> blacks today, we are talking about the dream for many of the dream of poor people, it is a nightmare. everybody has come in front of them on the bus. gays, immigrants, women, environmentalists. we never hear any talk about the conditions confronting poor blacks and poor people in general. >> kelly, as i understand it, you were on this phone call yesterday with the rnc chair reince priebus. >> this is something i've been covering quite a bit, thomas. i have specifically, you know, commended him when he has stepped up to the plate and actually criticized some of the really racist rhetoric we have

seen most recently, a republican who said some racist things. i asked him when you look at the totality of these comments and there were enough from president obama's first year in office, there were so many racist comments from republican leaders that it warranted its own slide show on new york magazine's website and how many there were and countless ones since then. i said do you think you as the chair of the policy needs to send a message this isn't welcome and issue an apology on behalf of the party? he said there are idiots in both parties. it sounding like a delusion mixed with denial. you think the party he has elect an african-american president has the majority of african-american members of congress has just as big of a race party of a party not done any of that and has a history of making racial comment after racial comment after racial

comment, then you're not seeing the big picture. i was taken aback, particularly since ken melvin went before the naacp in my column as i say and said i'm sorry, we have a bad history here with the southern strategy and i want to apologize for that. >> while they talk a good game, we are not seeing the action to back it up? >> exactly. they are pretty good at putting out reports that talk about what they need to do to reach out to more minorities. they just can't really implement any of those strategies. you're right to say it is just talk. the problem was when you look at some of the policies, they really don't have solutions for solving some of the real structural inequalities that african-americans still face when it comes to, for instance, income and wealth and education disparities. there are no real policies they can offer to these communities, nothing so to speak to really advance the dream. and that is really, i think, their stumbling block. >> one thing, too, steve, about

yesterday, there was a lot of birther talk but nobody put the kibosh on that one. >> i think that's right. we talked about this last week. racist rhetoric coming from the republican party in recent weeks and months. reince priebus and the rnc silent on this and not cracking down and not criticizing and, at the same time, we also see reince priebus looking the other way as republican policymakers statewide implement the voter suppression laws like in north carolina and texas. come vote for us we want your support. but, on the other hand, they are making it impossible for min minorities and others to reach the polls. >> along the lines of race, kelly, we have now new information, the story about that rodeo clown who wore president barack obama mask earlier this month saying this wasn't racially motivated and said he would be honored to shake the president's hand if he

were to show up down there. also saying this was something that has done in the past with bush, reagan and clinton to wear these clown masks as part of their show. but are things like this part of a larger conversation? and was that taken out of context? >> no. i think you're absolutely right. part of the conversation too large for us to have in this entire seg, unfortunately. i think the biggest question our society is grappling with and rnc is how to deal with this. there are certain comments and behaviors that will be seen as more offensive when directed an raechl and certain other people because of our country's complicated history and i think reince priebus his intention seems to be there. he is making some effort with these programs but when you can't see the larger issue of some of these comments being offensive and you need to step out on behalf of your party and denounce them that is the bigger picture. >> this is about daniel

hernandez. the former hispanic intern who helped saved gabby giffords after she was shot in the head. hernandez is facing this anti-gay campaign and recall for his position on the sunnyside unified school board. get this. one says put a real man. we need someone who will support sports and cares about our kids. igor, we need someone to support sports and cares about our kids. is this an effort to recall him because he is gay and stereotypes that they are trying to thrust on daniel hernandez? >> yeah, they are using those stereotypes against him. it's part of a larger recall effort about four other board members are being recalled. you know, we used to see these kinds of attacks on the national level and national politics years ago. it's really abated in the obama

era in recent years, but it's clear from these flyers that that kind of sentiment, unfortunately, is still alive and well in local races and some state races. i think it goes to say that while we have made a lot of progress nationally in terms of marriage equality this president has done, there is still a lot of work to be done in some of these areas and really ensuring that gay and lesbian people are treated equally. in this kind of campaigning, that it's not tolerated any more. >> it's really amazing. thanks, gang. i appreciate it. you can find more from our panel at our website tv.msnbc.com. follow the link to my name. continued backlash against miley cyrus performance and robin thicke's mom is talking about that event and water cooler fodder as miley hits back with more racy photos online. first, our producer's pick.

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there we see progress in new mexico over the fight in marriage equality but in russia, another shocking example of discrimination aimed at lgbt groups. a government official who is also a mayoral candidate is reportedly calling for a national ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual man and comes from a rising poopgs of gay rights activists and how it is affecting the community there. take a look at this. >> a state of violent attacks on gay people. >> we will discuss it later, but, sir, what about bradley manning? >> i don't -- i'm not really interested in talking about bradley manning. i'm interested in talking about the horrific environment of homophobia in russia right now. we are not going to be silenced in the face of this horrific

repression that is perpetrated by your pay masters and by vladimir putin. >> joining me right now is james who is a fellow with the foreign policy initiative and he went rainbow rogue on that show in russia today. james, we didn't see in the clip there when you sat down you didn't have on the rainbow suspenders and then you pulled them up during the interview. you were booked on that show today to talk about chelsea manning and the verdict. explain what is the motivation to flip the script on why you were booked to be on russia today? >> i have a general rule that i don't appear on russia today because he a prop began dah channel. but because of the situation in russia right now i thought it would be a provocative stunt to pull to draw attention what is happening in that country right now, and also to shame the people who work for that network, many of who are

americans and are british, they live in western countries, they enjoy the freedoms that we have in the free world. and they take vladimir putin's money and i find that despicable. >> you went a long time before you were actually cut off. i mean, you really took control and took the reins there for a long time. explain to all of us what happened after that interview, because if you were in sweden, correct? >> yeah, i was on vacation in sweden on my way to his sto. i got in the car and 20 minutes on the highway, the driver got a phone call informing him that the car was no longer paid for and that i was to be deposited on the side of the street. so he pulled off the next exit and i told him that i would pay for the car so he got back on the highway, dropped me off at the airport and as he was doing that, credit card transaction with his dispatcher back in

stockholm he was told the ride would be for free. so i can only thank the swedish taxi company for supporting me in my time of need. >> you were in sweden. i love how it looks like you were in rio how they have the set with the greenery behind you on the set. yu a couple of weeks ago on this show we had the opportunity to speak with american figure skater johnny weir about the laws and whether or not he plans to wear any type of pin publicly in opposition for these russian laws if he competes or whether he is a sports commentator for nbc. last week we saw wentworth miller to turn down an invitation to a russian film festival in st. peterpetersburg? will that send a message to the

lgbt that they aren't isolated and not forgotten? >> i think those moves are very positive. i'm not so sure i would support a boycott because -- is not a state-owned company and i don't see the effectiviveness of that and it's bottled in latvia where i was today. as for boycotting the olympics, i don't know if that is a great idea. what is effect if the political leaders boycott. usually at the olympics they have prime ministers and presidents from all over the world come and they are seen publicly. i think great if vladimir putin is left all alone with other dictators. i don't think any leaders of free countries should show their faces at this. i think those are the sorts of moves that would be helpful. >> james, great to have you on and you really behaved yourself in this interview. >> thanks for having me. new jersey governor chris christie defended jets coach rex

ryan yesterday and he fired back at a new york daily news reporter who questioned ryan's choice of a quarterback. here is christie's comments. "daily news" who are you calling an idiot, fat-so? allegations that trump university was an expensive sham operation says the new york attorney general. the students thought they were going to meet mr. trump but what they got was a chance to have their picture taken next to a life-sized poster of trump to look as though they had met him. >> students knew what they were getting says trump. a state of "morning joe 90,000 jobs are lost there and drop in wages there. take a peek at this on the

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so more backlash over miley cyrus' performance at the vmas. robin thicke's mom is not happy about what happened on stage sunday. grow gloria lowering's mouth hung open as she watched. she says she can't stop thinking about miley's parents watching what went on. >> i was not expecting her to be putting her butt that close to my son. mm. the problem is now i can never unsee it.

i don't understand what miley cyrus is trying to do. i just don't understand. i think she's misbegotten in this attempt of herself. >> we have president of the britto agency. good to have you here. we're two days out, there are no signs that miley is truly ashamed. she tweeted yesterday, "smilers, my vma performance had 306,000 tweets per minute. more than the blackout or the super bowl, 4 # faha #fact." did she get exactly what she wanted? i mean, the publicity is to beat the band. >> she got exactly what she wanted out of it. the vmas is historically a show that creatively pushes artistic boundaries. and she emerged as the person everyone is talking about. remember, this was the year of the lady gaga return. you hardly hear lady gaga being mentioned. miley cyrus has been suffocated

by an enormous brand built by disney. so what we see is her being edgy and rebelling and really trying to carve out a space very unique to miley. she was a little over the top with it and raunchy. but she really is standing by her performance. she wants people to forget about hannah montana. she wants people to understand that she's 21, and she wants to carve out a new artistic lane. this is the way that she's expressing herself. >> meanwhile, the parents tv council have issued this blistering statement saying heads should roll at mtv and that parents should be upset and call for that. but shouldn't parents know better? it's not like the vmas were just invented five years ago, ten years ago, 20 -- 30 years old. so it's -- not anything new to see these people come out and try to break the last bad deed of somebody else. >> this is also the same show where madonna and britney shared -- spears -- shared a kiss. so if parents aren't going to -- >> christina aguilera on the

stage, too. >> absolutely. >> another disney child star. >> parents have to police their children themselves and not look for vmas. they're a network, and they're in one business, the ratings business. for them, it's not for them to police what any of the artists do. they want big ratings. they want big numbers. that's what they got. and they still have people talking about their show. for parents, it was unnerving because they still see the little girl. but that's not miley anymore. >> here's the thing, though -- my teens, they love them. i don't want them to be mad. -- my team, they love them. i don't want them to be mad. the new element, the video, "give it to you," teaches something that looks like a foam finger. he's in the same ref wide-stridwide-strid wide-striped suit that he wore at the vmas. women are twerking all over that joint, but why isn't robin thicke getting heat?

it's such a double standard that we have for our young women as opposed to our men. >> well, first of all, robin thicke's brand was not built by disney. it's very different. and he is a man so there's a different level of expectation attached to it. miley is someone that many children grew up loving and adoring and still see her as hannah montana. that's the difference. robin is a married man and did rehearse the show. so he does have the accountability. to me, miley could have had that performance and let her dancers be over the top. >> i think for gen-x parents who are clutching their pearls, it's weird. i can understand because most still have a miley cyrus posters in their house. great to have you here. that's going to wrap up this hour for me. see you back here tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. eastern. chris matthews is going to help anchor all-day coverage of the 50th anniversary of the march on washington starting at 11:00 a.m. eastern here on msnbc. guests will include the reverend al sharpton, national urban

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today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. is thursday the day that the united states will launch an attack on syria? tuesday, august 27th, and this is "now." hello, i'm in for alex wagner. after nearly 2.5 years of civil war in syria and multiple reports of the largest chemical weapons attack in 25 years, the white house is poised for action against president bashar al assad. yesterday, secretary of state john kerry offered some of the administration's harshest words to date about the syrian government's attacks on its own citizens. >> what we saw in syria last week should shock the conscience of the world. it defies any code of morality.

let me be clear. the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity. by any standard, it is inexcusable, and despite the excuses and equivocations that some have manufactured, it is undeniable. >> now some of the grisly details of those attacks were captured on the front page of the "new york times" today, a painful reconstruction of strikes that left thousands of sick and dying syrians in the suburbs of damascus before dawn. their bodies convulsing and mouth foaming. their vision was blurry. many could not breathe. one doctor on location likened the images to a horror movie with cars bringing in entire families, fathers, mothers, children, all of them dead. syrian leaders, however, continued to deny using chemical weapons this morning and faced with reports of u.s. strikes that could come